Monday, September 27, 2010
The British millionaire businessman and owner of Segway, Inc., the manufacturer of Segway PT, Jimi Heselden OBE, has died after apparently crashing one of the company’s electric scooters over a cliff in West Yorkshire, England. He was 62 years old. Heselden, who was pronounced dead at the scene, is thought to have crashed his scooter into the River Wharfe while riding around his estate.
A spokeswoman from West Yorkshire Police released a statement confirming Heselden’s death. She said “Police were called at 1140 yesterday to reports of a man in the River Wharfe, apparently having fallen from the cliffs above.” She added that a “Segway type” vehicle had been recovered from the water.
After working in the mines after leaving school, he founded Hesco Bastion after being made redundant in the 1980s. He acquired Segway PT in 2010 with Hesco Bastion. A spokesperson for the company said: “It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Jimi Heselden OBE, has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire. Jimi is perhaps best known for his charity work with Help for Heroes and the Leeds Community Foundation. A £10m gift to the foundation earlier this month saw his lifetime charitable donations top £23m. Our thoughts go out to his family and many friends, who have asked for privacy at this time.”